University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln

USDA Systematic Entomology Laboratory Entomology Collections, Miscellaneous

1988

Native American Hosts of Asphondylia websteri (Diptera: )

Raymond J. Gagne Systematic Entomology Laboratory, BBII, USDA-ARS

William M. Woods Western Department of Agriculture, 3 Jarrah Road West, South Perth 6151, , Australia

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Gagne, Raymond J. and Woods, William M., "Native American Plant Hosts of Asphondylia websteri (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)" (1988). USDA Systematic Entomology Laboratory. 16. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/systentomologyusda/16

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Entomology Collections, Miscellaneous at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in USDA Systematic Entomology Laboratory by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Native American Plant Hosts of Asphondylia websteri (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

RA YMOND J. GAGNE! A~D WILLIAM M. WOODS2

Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 81(3): 447-448 (1988) ABSTRACT Asphondylia websteri Felt is reported for the first time from native American hosts, and jojoba. Previously, this apparently native American gall midge was known only from alfalfa and guar, two species exotic to North America. Such a wide disparity of hosts is otherwise unknown for North American Asphondylia spp. This discovery excludes A. websteri from consideration as a biocontrol agent of Parkinsonia aculeata in Australia.

KEY WORDS Insecta, galls, biocontrol, parasite

Asphondylia websteri Felt, until now known only of 50 buds collected on 31 August in Tucson from exotic plant hosts in the southwestern United showed 26 infested with A. websteri larvae. Pods States, is apparently a native American of P. aculeata were also attacked, and adult gall

I Gagne & Wuensche 1986). The only previously midges were reared from pods of Parkinsonia mi­ known hosts were two fabaceous purposely crophylla Torrey (foothills palo verde) and introduced into North America. These were alfalfa of Parkinsonia florida (Bentham ex Gray) S. Wat­ _\ledicago sativa L.) in and New Mexico son (blue palo verde). d.nd guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taubert) Widely planted as an ornamental in the south­ in Texas, Oklahoma, northern Mexico, and Arizona western United States, P. aculeata flowers through­ Rogers 1972, Gagne & Wuensche 1986). The gall out the year whenever soil water is available and midge lays eggs in the ovaries of flowers. The galls air temperature is not too low. In Tucson, the plant that result from larval feeding prevent the normal has a large flush of flowers in spring and summer, development of the ovaries or seeds. True to the but occasional flower in all other months, with prediction that this species would eventually be the possible exception of January and February. found on native plants (Gagne & Wuensche 1986), W.W. reared adult websteri from fresh galls there the insect has recently been discovered on two na­ every month from May to December. Infested tive American host genera. One is Parkinsonia, flowers remain unopened and eventually abort. In­ another fabaceous plant but belonging to a tribe side the flower the fully developed stamens and different from guar and alfalfa. The other host, pistil remain encapsulated and appear healthy but jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis (Link) C. Schneider) in a state of suspended animation during the life belongs to a separate family, Simmondsiaceae. of the larva, which grows in a ::avity lined with a Parkinsonia aculeata L. (Mexican palo verde, fungus on which the larva apparently feeds. Pu­ retama, retaima, Jerusalem thorn) is an introduced pation occurs in the cavity. The flower or pod dies \\-eed in northern Australia, where it grows in dense after the pupa cuts its way to the exterior and the thickets along riverbanks and low-lying areas. It adult escapes. Usually one larva develops in a flow­ "hades out desirable native vegetation and prevents er, but occasionally there are two or three larvae, cattle gaining access to waterholes. Because of its each in a separate cavity. Only one larva develops spines, the plant also makes herding cattle more in a pod gall. difficult. In 1983 the states of , North­ Parasitism of the Asphondylia by Hymenoptera ern Territory, and Western Australia embarked on is heavy. Torymus capillaceus (Huber) (Torymi­ ;J joint biological control program against this weed. dae), Galeopsomyia sp. (Eulophidae), and Pseu­ \ Vhile searching for natural enemies of the plant docatolaccus quizoti Girault (Pteromalidae) were :nArizona and Mexico ill'1985, one of us (W.W.) reared from flower galls on P. aculeata. In addition, discovered damage to flowers of Parkinsonia spp. a eulophid wasp, Tetrastichus sp., was a common "aused by an Asphondylia that we later deter­ inhabitant of A. websteri galls. This species formed cnined as A. websteri. Adult A. websteri emerged its own spherical "endogalls" within Asphondylia from 25 of 100 flower buds of P. aculeata collected galls, similar to those reported for Tetrastichus on 21 August at Tucson, Ariz., and 11 and 10 adults cecidobroter Gordh & Hawkins on Atriplex emerged, respectively, from 100 galls collected at (Hawkins & Goeden 1982). One to several of these Sasabe, Ariz., on 29 May and 24 August. Dissection endogalls occur in some flowers infested by A. web­ steri and severely constrict the cecidomyiid cavity, 1 Systematic Entomology Laboratory. BEll, USDA-ARS, 'Ie C.S. killing the larva inside. \-ational Museum. :\,HB 168, Washington, D.C. 20560. "\\'estern Australia Department of Agriculture, 3 Jarrah Road Parkinsonia belongs to the fabaceous subfamily \\·est. South Perth 6151. Western Australia, Australia. (Polhill & Raven 1978). Alfalfa 448 ANNALS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA Vol. 81, no. 3 and guar, the introduced hosts of the gall midge, pods and flowers of guar in Oklahoma and Texas not only are in a different subfamily, the Papilio­ (Rogers 1972). Whatever attraction the two hosts noideae, but are themselves in very different groups: have for C. texana may also draw A. websteri. alfalfa belongs to the tribe Trifolieae and guar to Contarinia texana may have additional native hosts, the Indigofereae, both in the subfamily Papilio­ also, because Parkinsonia does not naturally occur noideae. That the insect attacks such widely dif­ in Texas and Oklahoma where texana was reported ferent hosts within a family is surprising, because by Rogers (1972). most species of Asphondylia are known to be closely Voucher specimens of all stages of A. websteri host specific and shown to be distinct (Mohn 1959, from Parkinsonia spp. are in the U.S. National Hawkins et al. 1986), and distinct sections of As­ Museum of Natural History (NMNH) in Washing­ phondylia occur on monophyletic plant groups ton, D.G; those from jojoba are in the NMNH and (Gagne 1978). But Orphanides (1975) claimed a in the entomology collection of the University of wide host range for Asphondylia gennadii (Mar­ at Riverside. chal) or a group of very similar sibling species on Cyprus. Asphondylia gennadii that emerged from pods of carob, Ceratonia siliqua L. (), and Acknowledgment were then caged with hosts belonging to several different families, oviposited on some of those plants, We thank Saul I. Frommer, David A. Nickle, R. V. and their larvae developed successfully. It is not Peterson, Charlie Rogers, and J. Yukawa for their helpful comments on a draft of the manuscript. known whether this happens under natural con­ ditions with A. gennadii, although a Japanese As­ phondylia sp. does appear indistinguishable or nearly so in all stages (Yukawa 1980). Asphondylia References Cited sp. on soybean cannot overwinter on that plant Gagne, R. J. 1978. A new species of Asphondylia because the host dies back in winter in Japan; (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) from Costa Rica with taxo­ whether the soybean species overwinters on another nomic notes on related species. Proc. EntomoI. Soc. or, as seems likely, another host, is under Wash. 80: 514-516. investigation (Yukawa et al. 1986). Gagne, R. J. & A. L. Wuensche. 1986. Identity of the At least A. websteri has hosts on unrelated groups Asphondylia (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) on guar, Cy­ of plants. Not only does websteri occur on separate amopsis tetragonoloba (Fabaceae), in the southwest­ ern United States. Ann. EntomoI. Soc. Am. 79: 246- tribes of Fabaceae, it is found also on jojoba, S. 250. chinensis. Jojoba is a native plant Hawkins, B. A. & R. D. Goeden. 1982. Biology of a that in recent years has become increasingly com­ gall-forming Tetrastichus (Hymenoptera: Eulophi­ mercialized for the liquid wax in its seeds (Pinto dae) associated with gall midges on saltbush in south­ & Frommer 1980). Asphondylia websteri was col­ ern California. Ann. EntomoI. Soc. Am. 75: 444-447. lected from of jojoba as early as 1976 and was Hawkins, B. A., R. D. Goeden & R. J. Gagne. 1986. found many times subsequently in southern Cali­ Ecology and of the Asphondylia spp. (Dip­ fornia, Arizona, and Baja California (Pinto & tera: Cecidomyiidae) forming galls on Atriplex spp. Frommer 1980, as Asphondylia sp. n.). In addition (Chenopodiaceae) in southern California. Entomog­ raphy 4: 55-107. to those plants, A. websteri must have yet other Mohn, E. 1959. Gallmiicken (Diptera, Itonididae) aus native hosts, because Parkinsonia and jojoba do not EI Salvador. 1 TeiI. Senckenb. BioI. 40: 297-368. occur in Oklahoma where Rogers (1972) found this Orphanides, G. M. 1975. Biology of the carob midge species on guar. complex, Asphondylia spp. (Diptera, Cecidomyi­ Larvae, pupae, and both sexes of the Asphon­ idae), in Cyprus. Bull. EntomoI. Res. 65: 381-390. dylia from Parkinsonia and jojoba are identical Pinto, J. D. & S. I. Frommer. 1980. A survey of the according to the characters outlined in Gagne & on jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis). En­ Wuensche (1986). Two species sharing such losses viron. EntomoI. 9: 137-143. in adult and larval character states and adaptations Polhill, R. & P. Raven [eds.]. 1978. Advances in legume systematics. Parts 1 and 2. International Le­ of the pupa must be at least closely related. If the gume Conference. Kew, London. Asphondylia on Parkinsonia is not A. websteri but Rogers, C. E. 1972. Midges associated with guar in a sibling species instead (no host transfer studies Texas and Oklahoma. J. Econ. EntomoI. 65: 1204- have been done, and there are no plans to do any 1208. in the near future), it is still striking that such Yukawa, J. 1980. Life histories and host plants of the similar forms occur on relatively distant taxa as genus Asphondylia (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in Ja­ various and jojoba. Introduction of A. web­ pan. Proc. Assoc. Plant Prot. Kyushu 26: 125-127. steri into Australia for the control of Parkinsonia Yukawa, J., A. Nakawatase & M. Horikiri. 1986. Age is certainly inadvisable if there is a chance it would structure and survival rate of the soybean pod gall midge, Asphondylia sp. (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) oc­ attack alfalfa and other important crops. curring on soybean cultivated in early winter. Proc. Another species of Cecidomyiidae, Contarinia Assoc. Plant Prot. Kyushu 32: 127-129. texana (Felt), also occurs on both guar and Par­ kinsonia; Woods found it in pods and flowers of Received for publication 11 August 1987; accepted Parkinsonia spp. Itwas previously known only from 10 December 1987.